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Facebook Overhauls Feeds To Bring Less News, More Sharing

Sue Mclaughlin |Saturday, January 13, 2018

Facebook Overhauls Feeds To Bring Less News, More Sharing

Mark Zuckerberg's decision of prioritizing "meaningful social interactions" such as more posts from friends and family as opposed to "relevant content" like posts from work and business has led to a fall of 4% in Facebook shares.

The changes could shrink the social media giant's role as a major news source for many people.

It's not our choice; rather, Facebook is changing its algorithms to show users more posts from people they know, and fewer from companies, brands and news outlets.

Matt Navarra, director of social media at technology news site The Next Web, said people who used the platform to connect with friends and family were the "biggest victor out of this" but added that brands that relied heavily on Facebook for audience would be anxious about how it affected their ability to generate revenue.

'On the other hand, passively reading articles or watching videos - even if they're entertaining or informative - may not be as good'. Over time, Facebook will tailor the ads it shows you based on such feedback.

Oh, the researcher at Korea Press Foundation, said it was too early to say whether the latest measure would reinforce Facebook's "filter bubble" effect or not.

"It's obvious that the days of getting exposure as a business on Facebook are coming to an end", said Michael Stelzner, the CEO of social media marketing company Social Media Examiner.

The company says that's similar to how people make friends and interact with each other offline.

"If this change is as significant as they describe it, news organizations will go out of business or succeed based on a change that they didn't necessarily have input on", Kint said.

So what does this mean for what you'll see when you scroll through your news feed in the future?

Some hedge funds used Friday's drop in Facebook's stock to bolster their positions, said Joel Kulina, a senior trader at Wedbush.

What's less clear is how these changes will address Facebook's problem with false information on the site, as many stories that spread are shared by users' friends and family. Less time, of course, means fewer advertising eyeballs at any given time.

Admitting that its changes will likely reduce the time people spend on Facebook less was a big deal for the company. The company estimates that 130 million of its users are in such groups.

Facebook has pushed video in its news feed in recent years, prompting many publishers to hire staff in this field in what was termed a "pivot to video".

Facebook has been under fire for months for the proliferation of Russian-created "fake news" on the platform that may have impacted the 2016 presidential election. Facebook's battle against clickbait, for instance, sent click-dependent publishers like Upworthy into a tailspin several years ago.

The algorithm changes will nearly certainly affect ad-supported media companies like BuzzFeed and Bustle, which depend in part on Facebook to bring in an audience. The changes could jeopardize that route to their audiences, though some speculate it could be a ploy to force these companies to buy more Facebook ads.

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